Voyage

[SandraDee]

The few Eurodisco records that did actually make it to the pop charts in the UK became very big hits (which meant selling a considerable amount of units in the late 70s! ) e.g. Supernature, Singing In The Rain, Daddy Cool, Yes Sir I Can Boogie, to name a few off the top of my head. This indicates to me that this music was actually popular with many UK people, taking into consideration the initial opposition that this music faced from the rock press, DJs & other industry 'experts' who played a huge part in exposing people to music, especially from abroad. I was very young at that time but i avidly read the music press & listened to alot of radio here in the (y)UK & the hatred expressed towards this type of music was just amazing; anyone would think it was the sperm of the devil, not harmless fun music. :-? This just made me want to explore to find more of this music so thankyou to those 'experts', you did me a huge favour! :lol:

[RetroRuss]

OK - I am presently looking at a 12" that I bought from HMV in 1978 for £1.29 from Enfield in North London, with Souvenirs on one side and Lady America on the other. UK release on the GTO label NO GT 12 241. Hope that helps.

Secondly about the clubs and the music - as a 'punter' (dancer, music consumer etc.) I went 'clubbing' in the West End for the music - the best rooms, were fairly bland, just powerful sound systems lights, a bar and people. I chased the music, rather than the girls. By 1981, in London and elsewhere clubs became more 'stylish' or 'posey', chrome, leather etc...and focussed less on the music.

[TheLordOfFlatbush]

From what I heard when I was playing in the 70's (still playing though) the vibe for Disco in the UK was very much as appreciated highly than in the US. Being a New Yorker, Disco music was a way of life back in the days! I would like to hear some more stories on how was Disco received in other countries back in the 70's.

Originally Posted by remicks

*****

Just from Quinny's description of the music ... it seems to reflect that what he says was true ... the UK DJs just didn't get it .... and therefore they didn't like it .
Might it have had something to do with a lack of complementary venues .... ones not complete with spectacular lighting and big room sound quality ..... ( :-? ? )

Sounds as though the romp rooms found there then were still more suited to the sounds of ol' funky soul tunes ...... :-?

*****

[TheLordOfFlatbush]

I Love You Dancer - A Hot Song!!!

How does the folks in the forum feel about, that song?

[efunk_adelic]

Originally Posted by TheLordOfFlatbush

I Love You Dancer - A Hot Song!!!

How does the folks in the forum feel about, that song?

i liked it when it first came out...

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by SandraDee

The few Eurodisco records that did actually make it to the pop charts in the UK became very big hits (which meant selling a considerable amount of units in the late 70s! ) e.g. Supernature, Singing In The Rain, Daddy Cool, Yes Sir I Can Boogie, to name a few off the top of my head. This indicates to me that this music was actually popular with many UK people, taking into consideration the initial opposition that this music faced from the rock press, DJs & other industry 'experts' who played a huge part in exposing people to music, especially from abroad.

........And so DJs wouldn't have played these tracks that much, unless we were unfortunate enough to be working a Top Rank/Mecca type of disco. The above mentioned tracks (with the possible exception of Supernature) were pop records first and foremost, NOT great disco records that broke the charts and that's where we drew the line.

[TheLordOfFlatbush]

It's still great to hear occasionally!

Originally Posted by efunk_adelic

i liked it when it first came out...

[Rab]

From East to West was a masterpiece, Hall of Fame record, it was 1977 that bled over into 1978.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

........And so DJs wouldn't have played these tracks that much, unless we were unfortunate enough to be working a Top Rank/Mecca type of disco. The above mentioned tracks (with the possible exception of Supernature) were pop records first and foremost, NOT great disco records that broke the charts and that's where we drew the line.

Exactly!!! Now take that statement and reverse it for the US clubs. Voyage, Sheila, etc..., were not US pop fare. So, as DJ's, those were our underground, couture, not-with-the-herd playlists. We'd read the UK lists and wonder "why are they ranking that so high?", when it came to US Dance tracks that were popular on our radios, but we wouldn't play in the clubs.

You always strove to push what was not the mass-appeal for your region, alongside of the tracks you had to play.

[ashley]

.. oh I see .. so that's how it worked in America? .. I never understood how a massive Billboard Hot 100 chart & r&b smash like Kool & the Gang "Higher plane" could fare so badly on the US disco charts .. when it was so obviously designed for dancing ..

.. but from what you say it would appear the dance djs were deliberately refusing to give this song a mention on their feedback playlists as the single was already a big radio hit .. but when those same radio stations were not promoting Kool & the Gang, for example on the release of "Open Sesame", the dance djs got behind the tune .. creating a disco classic ..

.. mmmm ..

.. it was quite the reverse in the UK .. a danceable pop record usually went straight in to the disco charts .. so the UK pop & disco charts looked very similar ..

.. this became such a problem British pop magazine Record Mirror had to create a separate dance chart .. one that was not simply a reflection of the pop charts .. seperate returns were taken from the specialist soul & jazz-funk jocks .. creating a hip soul/dance/jazz-funk chart

.. so many big US disco hits, like Voyage & Costandinos, could never get a foothold on the UK pop dance chart, usually due to minimal national airplay .. nor could they make any impression with the soul/jazz-funk crowd either .. so got overlooked in Britain ..
..
.. it's a miracle that songs like "Souvenirs" & "Come in to my heart" were released here at all ..

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Originally Posted by ashley

.. oh I see .. so that's how it worked in America? .. I never understood how a massive Billboard Hot 100 chart & r&b smash like Kool & the Gang "Higher plane" could fare so badly on the US disco charts .. when it was so obviously designed for dancing ..

.. but from what you say it would appear the dance djs were deliberately refusing to give this song a mention on their feedback playlists as the single was already a big radio hit .. but when those same radio stations were not promoting Kool & the Gang, for example on the release of "Open Sesame", the dance djs got behind the tune .. creating a disco classic ..

"Higher Plane" was in 1974 and reached #37 on Billboard. It was a "Funk" record. That got heavy airplay on Urban stations.
"Open Sesame" was a "Disco" record, from 1976. Few radio stations were playing Disco in '76. (Though, the song gained more popularity from the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, in 1977.)

As for "...how it worked in America?" I was referring to the Euro tracks mentioned in thread, and gave one reason why they were more successful in the US clubs, than their own countries'. I didn't say it was radio vs. clubs. Or that we refused to play pop tracks. That's a bit much to assume. And I'd never make a blanket statement like that.

But I will say that, in the US (New York & the Northeast, to be more precise), Top 40 Radio didn't get onboard with Disco, (excluding the Philly stuff, and the occassional crossover hit: "Brasil", Never Can Say Goodbye", etc...) until late 1977, early 1978.

[12incher]

If I had to pick a favorite disco group of all time it would be Voyage

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by ashley

..many big US disco hits, like Voyage & Costandinos, could never get a foothold on the UK pop dance chart, usually due to minimal national airplay .. nor could they make any impression with the soul/jazz-funk crowd either .. so got overlooked in Britain ..
..
.. it's a miracle that songs like "Souvenirs" & "Come in to my heart" were released here at all ..

You're right again, it is a miracle they got released here! These records that were huge worldwide hits had so little following here, maybe with the exception of Scotland who always seemed to like euro/poppy disco.

[discolady75]

Voyage has always been a French success in years. today, "Souvenirs" is THE track you can play to a young audience (18-25) they d immediately recognize, dance on, fly on.
I see the Euro - US Disco is still a discord apple !
As a contemporary Disco Dj (I'm 33 just a baby girl among you!), playing disco, everykind of discos (US, Euro, Electronic, Latina and Afro, some early 80s hi nrg, a bit of italo) in a big club configuration - i still think that playing in a bar where your music is just a decoration element and playing in a place where music is THE thing people comes for, with the right equipment for sound, light, etc.. is clearly not the same experience.
On a dancefloor, i d look for something stronger, powerfull and trancey, a physical trip, variations on landscape, evocation of multi colours, drama as total hedonism.
I can tell you that Eurodisco is the best for these impressions. Consider la Bionda "Sandstorm", the instrumental and electronic version of Havah Nagila by Celso valli, "Remember" a Simonetti prod., Cappuccino "Hell's dance", Kikkrokos, Brigade mondaine, etc...

Only Eurodisco, for me, gathers both powerfull inside hypnose by the beat, layers of electronic bass and very sensuous melodies.
In american disco you got the Soul, Latin, Jazz main essential influence, that i respect a LOT. But something mysterious, pervasive, a little transgressing,"kinky" is missing.

A big piece of popular eurodisco :
YouTube - NIGHT IN CHICAGO